Saftey First! Three Bicycle Skills “Rodeos” Coming to Sebastopol Union School District in April Safe Routes to School (SRTS)—a program of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition and the City of Sebastopol—is putting on three bicycle skills “rodeos” in April. The first takes place at Pine Crest Elementary School (7285 Hayden Ave), on Wednesday, April 14th, from 2-5pm. Brook Haven Middle School (7905 Valentine Ave) has one the following week, on Wednesday, April 21st, from 2-5pm. The last one takes place at Park Side Elementary (7450 Bodega Ave), on Wednesday, April 28th, from 1:30-4:30pm. The rodeos are organized for students in the Sebastopol Union School District (SUSD), but the public is welcome to attend. “I know it’s a funny name for a bike safety training,” says Safe Routes to School Director Tina Panza, “but Bicycle Skills Rodeos present a great opportunity for children and teens to learn about bike safety and practice on-bike riding skills in a fun and safe environment.” Students, with guided instruction from Safe Routes to School staff and the Sebastopol Police Department, will practice, demonstrate, and learn how to improve their bicycling skills under varying conditions, gain understanding of traffic signs, receive a helmet if they do not have one ($5.00 suggested donation), get their helmets fitted properly, and have their bikes inspected by bicycle mechanics from two local bike shops, West County Revolution and West County Cycle Service. During the month of March, SUSD students received pedestrian and bicycle safety education. Students in grades K-2 at Park Side and Pine Crest received one lesson on pedestrian safety. Students in grades 3-5 received two lessons on pedestrian/bicycle safety and the environmental/health benefits of walking and bicycling. All lessons were taught by qualified SRTS instructors, Sarah Hadler and Amy Jolly. Sixth grade students at Brook Haven received four lessons on bicycle safety and riding skills, taught by Martin Clinton, League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructor. This education session culminates in the Bicycle Skills Rodeos which allow students a chance to practice what they have learned in the classroom in a safe and monitored setting. About Sebastopol and Sonoma County Safe Routes to School: The Sebastopol Unified School District Safe Routes to School program, funded by a federal Safe Routes to School grant to the city of Sebastopol, is being implemented at Park Side Elementary School, Pine Crest Elementary School, Brookhaven Middle School, and the Sebastopol Independent Charter School. The goal of Safe Routes to School programs is to encourage walking and bicycling where it is safe, and to make changes where it is not safe. SRTS programs do this through an integrated approach that includes five E's - encouragement, education, evaluation, engineering, and enforcement. In doing so, SRTS programs address health and safety by reducing traffic congestion around schools, increasing physical activity, encouraging lifestyle changes for families, creating safer, calmer streets and neighborhoods, and improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition is the lead implementation agency for the Sebastopol SRTS program, as well as the Sonoma County SRTS program, which is funded through the Measure M Transportation tax and administered by the Sonoma County Transportation Authority. www.BikeSonoma.org